Predaking is old news, Optimus Primal deco Optimal Optimus is the new hotness! This actually inspired a question from me. Have any podcast members experienced a redeco that seems to be a better fit for the mold than the original or media accurate mold?

SDCC Optimal Optimus doesn't match his show deco in Beast Wars or Power of the Primes (bleh) and it's not even the deco I was expecting for an SDCC exclusive (was hoping for a Primal Prime) but as soon as I laid eyes on it something clicked and I realized this is the version of the mold I want. I'm a big Beast Wars fan and I like regular Optimus Primal (I think I'll get the Perfect Effect figure eventually) but for some reason black, white, and the red and blue accents just kills it for me, adding to that the fact that Optimus Primal integrates even better to the super mode and I am super sold on this exclusive. It just got me thinking of other times the repurposing or redeco overwrote the original in my mind (and thinking back it's often black and white color schemes, Energon Prowl and Rodimus as the S.W.A.T. team are also terrific redecos that made the originals pop right out of my memory).

Perhaps the toy retailers are playing the scarcity game, nothing for a while, then BAM "look how generous we are? Come to us for your toy needs! Isn't this kindness worth some extra dollars?"But why are the online retailers doing it too? They aren't, domestic e-tailers are always the absolute last to ever have anything.

Prime135

My guess is that hasbro cut down on production when they found out toys r Us was closing, cause yah know, less suppliers, less supply needed right? What they failed to take into account was, the fans want their toys, and when toys r us can’t provide, Walmart/Target/etc need greater amounts of stock than normal to account for displaced demand.

For example, wave 2 voyagers briefly showed up in my area recently, sometimes 5-6 cases at a time, however they were usually gone in under 3 days.

Respectfully, I think you're both way off. Playing a scarcity game with a common product isn't going to "win" anyone's favor or money. It's just going to lead to money not spent. And if it was product already in hand it's an item taking up space in a warehouse that could be transiting stuff that is selling. And as far as underestimating stock goes, I don't think that would be it either. The purchase orders from a retailer to Hasbro go months and months out. Sure the writing on the wall has been there for TRU for a while, but then that would just mean that TRU doesn't order any stock. WalMart, Target, Meijers, and all the e-tailers are still going to be ordering stock. That the other locations didn't get stock is what's telling. Hasbro isn't going to limit WalMart's stock just because TRU isn't buying. In fact I'd wager that Hasbro would try to sell harder due to a lower overall order.

To me, it looks like a bottleneck problem. Something has happened along the way that has reduced the total readily available supply of Wave 2. Be it a problem with production that Hasbro doesn't want to talk about, or a problem with shipping, or a container ship getting lost in the Bermuda Triangle… but in the Pacific… That it's showing up now (BigBad order notice, YAY!!!) and before Wave 3 has shown up in earnest makes me think that something roughed up the flow and that we're just now getting past it.

Well I did renamed the Jet Blast-Off and the "Betatron" Scattershot as Exploder, The Traveler and Betashot, The Leader, now currently having a headcannon that all the Enigma of Combinations that are packed with the Voyagers are actually pieces of the actually Enigma with the sparks of fallen Cybertronians. Also how is the Black Knight's Castle been the best castle set of that LEGO ever made, I still think that Castle of Morcia or King Leo's Castle from Knights' Kingdom I + II are little bit better than Black Knight's Castle.

From my personal observation, it's gotta be a reduction in production and/or Wal-Mart/Target are NOT picking up the slack of ToysRus.Since Christmas, there's been quite a few lines that are not being refreshed at all on shelves with their scheduled 2018 new waves.When ToysRus was going under, clearancing everything, I noticed many newer waves of stuff finally appearing on their shelves that had been held back.The only lines that seem to be getting consistent roll outs of new stuff is: Transformers Studio Series, WWE Wrestling, Marvel Film lines, Star Wars Solo, and Jurassic World.It's almost as if all these stores care about stocking is just toy lines that also have good-performing movies associated with them(retailers didn't give a **** about Transformers: The Last Knight).

So here's a list of all the toy lines around me ( Rhode Island aka Hasbroland ) that are poorly stocked:

Hasbro

Transformers The Last Knight (Anything beyond the Drift wave is a no-show. It's sad. It's like EVERYBODY gave up on stocking this line.)

Power of the Primes (Wave 2, where art thou?)

Robots In Disguise (The late waves like Bludgeon/Thermidor & the final wave of Crash Combiners Primelock & Saberclaw)

Moose Toys

Grossery Gang figures (Wave 2 & onward)

Jakks

World of Nintendo (EVERYTHING. Seriously, why the **** does Jakks still even have this license? They treat it like a red-headed stepchild. Quit riding Mario's **** and give us Captain Falcon and Pitt already!)

Playmates Toys

Ben 10 (wave 2 figures – the ones with the rocks, moss, and blue stuff on them. Not as urgent, but could use a restock or two.)

Voltron (Paladin wave of figures is nowhere.)

Mattel

Halo (Everything. AGAIN, why the **** do they even have this license? McFarlane treated it MUCH better!)

Bandai of America

Power Rangers (Legacy figures. Stores are still choking on those female ranger figures.)

My guess is that hasbro cut down on production when they found out toys r Us was closing, cause yah know, less suppliers, less supply needed right? What they failed to take into account was, the fans want their toys, and when toys r us can’t provide, Walmart/Target/etc need greater amounts of stock than normal to account for displaced demand.

For example, wave 2 voyagers briefly showed up in my area recently, sometimes 5-6 cases at a time, however they were usually gone in under 3 days.

Perhaps the toy retailers are playing the scarcity game, nothing for a while, then BAM "look how generous we are? Come to us for your toy needs! Isn't this kindness worth some extra dollars?"But why are the online retailers doing it too? They aren't, domestic e-tailers are always the absolute last to ever have anything.